Golf ball retrieving club

ABSTRACT

The golf ball holding cavity extends completely through the putter head and is open at the rear wall of the head. The rigid wall of the cavity is dimensioned and configured to encompass more than one half of a golf ball at its diametrical periphery for releasably holding a gold ball inserted therein.

United States Patent in] 3,632,112

[72] Inventor Charles D- Jacobs 1,380,526 6/1921 Carpenter 273/ 1 62 E X 1100 South Lakeside Drive, Lake Worth, 1,960,1 l0 5/1934 llcs 273/162 E Fla. 33460 1,994,207 3/1935 Ahles 273/162 E [21] Appl. No. 84,962 2,482,294 9/ 1949 Sandor 294/ 19 A [22] Filed Oct. 29, 1970 3,265,430 8/1966 Jenkins 294/ 19 A [45] Patented Jan. 4, 1972 3,300,241 l/ 1967 Eberwein et a1. 273/162 E 3,374,027 3/1968 Jacobs 273/163 E X 54] GOLF BALL RETRIEVING CLUB Primary ExaminerRichard C. Pinkham 6 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs. Assistant Examiner-Richard J. Apley Attorney-Bacon & Thomas [52] U.S. Cl 273/162 E,

273/32 F, 273/164, 294/19 A [5 l 1 Int. Thc holding cavity gxtends complelely of Search F, through the pune head and is open a [hc ear of {hc 162 167 R, 162, head. The rigid wall of the cavity is dimensioned and con- 77 193 194 19 19 A figured to encompass more than one half of a golf ball at its diametrical periphery for releasably holding a gold ball inserted therein.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 771,886 10/1904 Smith 294/19 A PATENTEU JAN 4 i972 INVFINI'OH. Clmmfs 0. J/ICUBS GOLF BALL RETRIEVING CLUB This invention relates to an improved golf club which permits the user to retrieve golf balls from a playing surface or from a cup while standing erect.

It is an object of this invention to provide a golf club which securely holds a golf ball against forces tending to remove the ball therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a golf club which includes a retrieving, cavity and which is weighed equally fore and aft of the cavity.

It is also an object to provide a retrieving golf club which is easy to use, pleasing in appearance and economical to manufacture.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred form of the invention when taken with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the putter of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear side elevational view of the putter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view as viewed from the right of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the putter of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 6 is a rear side elevational view similar to FIG. 2, illustrating a modified form of ball retrieving device wherein the retrieving cavity has straight vertical nontapering walls.

The putter head 1 is preferably formed of metal and is provided with a planar front wall 3 for striking a golf ball and with end walls 5 and 7 which extend rearwardlv and diverge outwardly from the opposite ends of the front wall 3. The planar back wall 9 is parallel with the front wall 3 and is connected with end walls 5 and 7 by the wall sections 11 and 13 which extend outwardly and forwardly from the opposite ends of the backwall.

The top surface 15 of the putter head is curved a small amount from end to end and from front to back to provide a surface which is convex to a small degree. The bottom surface 17 is also convex being curved so as to conform to the convex bottom wall of a cup into which the ball is directed.

A shaft 19 of conventional construction is fixedly secured to the putter head in the customary manner. Only the lower portion of the shaft 19 is shown in the drawings and the lower end thereof is inserted in an opening 21 formed in the putter head on the side thereof adjacent the end wall 7.

A golf ball receiving and holding cavity 25 extends vertically through the putter head midway between the end walls 5 and 7 and bisects the back wall 9. The wall 27 of the cavity tapers upwardly and converges inwardly from the bottom surface 17 of the putter head and defines a partial section of a frustoconical surface. The axis of the cavity is indicated by the reference numeral 29 and is spaced a suitable distance inwardly of the putter head from the plane of the back wall 9 and toward the front wall 3, providing a cavity wall or surface 27 which is somewhat greater than semiconical.

The diameter of the cavity 25 at its entrance 3] where the cavity wall 27 joins the bottom wall 17, is preferably at least equal to that of a USGA golf ball and may be somewhat greater, for example a few thousandths of an inch, so as to permit a golf ball to freely and easily enter the cavity. However, the entrance to the cavity may be the same diameter as a golf ball or a few thousandths smaller since the cover of a golf ball is resilient and is easily compressed a small amount.

In the preferred from of the invention, the entrance 31 to the cavity 25 is substantially of the same diameter as a USGA golf ball and the cavity wall preferably tapers upwardly at a uniform rate from the entrance to the upper open end thereof where the diameter of the cavity is substantially smaller than at the entrance. The cavity wall provides a self-holding taper for releasably holding any of the various sizes of golf balls presently in use in this country which may be inserted upwardly into the cavity to the extent that the resilient cover of the golf ball is frictionally engaged and compressed by the cavity wall. A golf ball will be securely held by the tapered, rigid walls of the cavity when the resilient cover thereof is compressed only a few thousandths of an inch. However, the golf ball cover may be compressed to a much greater extent and be securely held in the cavity.

The degree or angle of the taper of the cavity wall 27 may vary over a reasonably wide range, the only requirement being that as a minimium, sutficient angle of taper is provided to at least slightly compress the cover of the golf ball around more than one half the diameter thereof and at the diametrical midportion of periphery thereof when the ball is inserted in the cavity. The degree or angle of the taper may vary between the minimum mentioned above and one as great as will securely hold a golf ball inserted upwardly therein whether the cover of the golf ball is compressed only a few thousandths of an inch or is compressed to any greater extent up to the maximum amount reasonably possible. A taper as described above is referred to herein as a self-holding taper," and is one which will hold a golf ball with considerable frictional resistance against forces tending to remove the ball therefrom. Self-holding tapers are well known in the machine tool art.

In use, a golf ball is retrieved from a playing surface or from the bottom of a hole into which it has been stroked by placing the entrance 31 of the cavity 25 over the ball and then moving the putter head downwardly until the ball is engaged at its diametrical periphery by the cavity wall 27 and the ball cover is compressed at least a few thousandths of an inch, whereby the ball is securely held by compression and friction in the cavity. The putter head and ball may then be lifted to the hand of the golfer and the ball removed from the cavity by pressing with the fingers or thumb on the upper surface of the ball with sufficient force to move the ball downwardly in the cavity until the cover of the ball is disengaged from the cavity wall.

The golf ball being retrieved will not tend to escape or pass out of the cavity 25 through the opening 33 which bisects the back wall 9 since the axis 29 of the cavity 25 is located inwardly of the back wall far enough so that the distance across the mouth of the opening 33 from the inner edge of one back wall portion to the opposed inner edge of the other is substantially less than the diameter of the ball and also substantially less than the diameter of the cavity. It is desirable to have the cavity 25 open through back wall 9 in order to provide a putter head which is heel and toe weighted so as to reduce putting errors which occur when the ball is struck fore or aft of the sweet spot.

The putter head is designed and configured so that it will be guided freely downwardly by the vertical wall of a golf cup and the axis of the cavity will be positioned in alignment with the center of the conical bottom of the cup. The curved end walls 5 and 7 are of equal radial distance from the axis 29 of the cavity and the radius of the end walls at the upper edge thereof is slightly smaller than the radius of a standard golf cup. The end walls 5 and 7 taper downwardly and inwardly a small amount from the upper surface of the head of the putter in order to assist in guiding the head into and downwardly in the cup. Thus a ball resting in the cup will be aligned with the cavity and will enter it directly and without probing as the putter head is lowered to engage the ball.

A depression or other reference mark 35 fonned on the upper surface 15 of the putter head between the front wall 3 and the opening in the upper end of the cavity lies in a plane which is coextensive with the axis 29 of the cavity and extends normal to the front wall 3. The depression 35 indicates the sweet spot to be aligned with the center of the golf ball for obtaining maximum results when putting.

In order to aid in aligning the club head with the ball and with the cup into which the ball is to be stroked, parallel sight lines in the form of grooves 40 and 42 are provided on the top surface 15 and are spaced an equal distance on either side of the cavity 25. The sight lines or grooves 40 and 42 are disposed normal to the planar front wall 3.

In the fonn of the invention shown in FIG. 6, the entire structure of the golf head is the same as that described above in connection with FlGS. 1-5 except for the configuration and size of the cavity, and therefore like reference numerals designate like parts.

In FIG. 6, the cavity 50 extends vertically through the putter head 1 and opens through the back wall of the head, defining a partial vertical section of a cylindrical surface. The axis of the cavity 50, indicated by the reference numeral 52, is spaced 2. suitable distance inwardly of the putter head from the back wall and toward the front wall, for example three-sixteenths of an inch, so that the rigid wall 54 of the cavity is somewhat greater than semicylindrical and a ball held in the cavity cannot normally be removed through the opening in the back wall. The rigid surface of the cavity wall 54 is cylindrical and the radial distance between the axis 52 of the cavity 50 and the cavity wall 54 is the same throughout the entire cavity.

The diameter of the cavity 50 is preferably a few thousandths of an inch smaller than the diameter of a golf ball to be retrieved and is at least one thousandth of an inch smaller so that the cover of the golf ball will be slightly compressed at its diametrical midportion or periphery as it is forced into the cavity. The entrance to the lower end of the cavity may be chamfered as at 56 to assist in guiding a ball into said cavity.

A retrieved ball will be frictionally held under compression in the cavity and may be removed from either the lower or upper end of the cavity by applying a gentle force to the ball with the fingers or thumb.

While preferred forms of the invention have been described and disclosed above, it is to be understood that such changes and alterations as would occur to those skilled in the art are to be considered with the purview of this invention as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A golf club for retrieving golf balls from a supporting surface, comprising: a rigid club head having a front wall thereon for stroking a ball, a backwall, and a golf ball holding cavity extending vertically through the club head and opening through the backwall thereof, said cavity having a vertical axis spaced inwardly of the head from said backwall and toward said front wall, the wall of said cavity being entirely rigid and being peripherally spaced, in any individual plane extending normal to said vertical axis, a uniform radial distance from said vertical axis, the diameter of said cavity adjacent the lower end thereof being at least a few thousandths of an inch smaller than that of a golf ball to be retrieved, said vertical axis being spaced from said backwall a distance sulTrcient to result in said opening in said backwall being sufficiently smaller thereacross than the diameter of a golf ball so that a ball held in the cavity cannot normally be removed through said opening, the wall of said cavity providing a surface for frictionally engaging and holding a golf ball under compression around more than one half the diameter thereof and substantially less than the entire diameter thereof.

2. A golf club according to claim I in which said cavity bisects said backwall intermediate the opposite ends thereof.

3. A golf club according to claim 1 in which the cavity is located midway between the toe and heel of the club and the weight of the toe end of the putter head is substantially equal to the weight of the heel end.

4. A golf club according to claim 1 in which the wall of said cavity defines a partial section of a frustoconical surface.

5. A golf club according to claim 1 in which the wall of said cavity comprises a self-holding taper of more than semiconical configuration.

6. A gold club according to claim 1 in which the wall of said cavity comprises a surface of more than semicylindrical configuration. 

1. A golf club for retrieving golf balls from a supporting surface, comprising: a rigid club head having a front wall thereon for stroking a ball, a backwall, and a golf ball holding cavity extending vertically through the club head and opening through the backwall thereof, said cavity having a vertical axis spaced inwardly of the head from said backwall and toward said front wall, the wall of said cavity being entirely rigid and being peripherally spaced, in any individual plane extending normal to said vertical axis, a uniform radial distance from said vertical axis, the diameter of said cavity adjacent the lower end thereof being at leAst a few thousandths of an inch smaller than that of a golf ball to be retrieved, said vertical axis being spaced from said backwall a distance sufficient to result in said opening in said backwall being sufficiently smaller thereacross than the diameter of a golf ball so that a ball held in the cavity cannot normally be removed through said opening, the wall of said cavity providing a surface for frictionally engaging and holding a golf ball under compression around more than one half the diameter thereof and substantially less than the entire diameter thereof.
 2. A golf club according to claim 1 in which said cavity bisects said backwall intermediate the opposite ends thereof.
 3. A golf club according to claim 1 in which the cavity is located midway between the toe and heel of the club and the weight of the toe end of the putter head is substantially equal to the weight of the heel end.
 4. A golf club according to claim 1 in which the wall of said cavity defines a partial section of a frustoconical surface.
 5. A golf club according to claim 1 in which the wall of said cavity comprises a self-holding taper of more than semiconical configuration.
 6. A gold club according to claim 1 in which the wall of said cavity comprises a surface of more than semicylindrical configuration. 